Hatters boss not impressed by JPT selection rules

Mike Simmonds

Hatters boss John Still doesn’t believe it’s right that he should be dictated to in terms of team selection for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie against Crawley Town on Tuesday night.

Competition rules state that Luton have to include at least six players who started the previous game at Stevenage on their teamsheet, or at least six players out of 11 who have made the most starting appearances in league and cup matches this season.

Still said: “I think you should be allowed to pick whatever team you want. They don’t really tell you what team to pick in the Football League.

“I’m sure if you picked a completely different 11 one day, someone might ask a question on why you did it, but if we take it to the nth degree, if you were Chelsea or a Manchester City, I don’t know who their best team is.

“They could pick 11 different players as I know they do for FA Cup and things like that and it’s no weaker than the teams they play week in week out.

“I think the judge of a manager and a football club are the people that work within it. If the club is running its football side in a manner that they want, why should anyone else have an opinion on what they do?

“I don’t really agree with that. I think they should be able to do what they want.”

Still also felt the club’s younger players will be the ones who potentiall miss out on vital experience as they haven’t featuredin the first team yet.

Had added: “For all of us, and particularly for people that want a better England, and I know we’re talking about the level we’re at, why shouldn’t you play players who you think could improve because of the competition that they’re playing in.

“Why shouldn’t you do that to develop players that may go on and become international players. If the club is happy to put out a team that is completely different to the one that played previously, what is the problem?

“The way that I see it, if you intentionally put out a weaker team to get beat, I do understand, that’s not good and doesn’t respect the competition.

“But we’re all entitled to pick whatever team we feel is right.

“You can only live in one house and those are the rules for that house, you can’t live in two houses.

“Sometimes I understand the reasons why people put the rules into operation, but when it comes to picking a football team, I think we’re getting a contradiction on what’s right for the players, what’s right for the club and what’s right for the FA.

“It’s your football club, you should be entitled to pick whatever you want.”